This invention relates to electrical connectors.
In many types of systems, it is necessary to electrically couple a circuit pack, which includes a circuit board with electrical components mounted thereon, to a backplane, which includes an insulating surface and an array of pins electrically coupled to other portions of the apparatus. The typical type of electrical connection employed is the signal pin and socket arrangement, but fiber optic and coaxial cable connections may also be included. (See, for example, AT&T Connector Systems Printed Circuit Board Connector Catalog, pp. 35 and 45 (March 1990).
As systems have become more complex, high density connectors have become a necessity for economical interconnection. For example, one approach has suggested providing connector pin-in-socket modules which are mounted to different sides of the circuit pack circuit board. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,321 issued to Johnson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,155 issued to Walkup et al.) The leads of the connectors may be either surface mounted or press-fit into the boards. In the case of press-fit leads, it is desirable to interdigitate the leads from both sides of the board in order to keep electrical paths relatively short and consistent in length.